A Slippery Slope
by Magpie05
Summary: Robbie keeps having a dream that disturbs him greatly. Sportacus can’t seem to get to sleep. A SportaRobbie slashfic.
1. Gazing At Stars

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own LazyTown. I am making no money off of this story. Everything is (the incredible, edible, amazing, GOD) Magnús Scheving's, and a bunch of other people's. I just like to get their things dirty and play with them a bit. And I'll make sure they're nice and clean before I put them back in their neat little boxes.

A/N: Yay! Freshly beta'ed by Razoth Redfire. So very kind of her. (:huggles Razoth:) I feel much better about this now.

A Slippery Slope

Chapter 1: Gazing at Stars

"Aaaah!"

Robbie sat bolt upright, gasping. He had just had the most _horrifying_ dream. Almost every time he closed his eyes the same vision of terror had taken the opportunity to resurface over and over. And it had woken him up from his nightly slumber for the _last_ time.

Robbie leapt out of his fluffy orange chair. The bowl of popcorn he went to bed with every night spun to the floor, scattering the white fluffs all over.

"I must do something about this nuisance," he muttered to himself, wandering around his laboratory. The lab always seemed to help clear his mind of all the clutter, allowing for more brilliant ideas to surface. "I should _not_ be up and _moving_, of all things, at this time of night… There must be a way to make this god awful thing stop pestering me…But how?"

He kicked aside a stray brilliant idea (that hadn't turned out so brilliant in the end, as always) refusing to think about how all his actions could almost be considered exercise. He especially did not think about how a certain flipping hero in blue might smile at him because he was moving around, instead of sitting eating junk food or staring at the television. He shook his head.

"Maybe if I just talk about it—" An image flashed before his eyes of himself lying on a pink couch while Dr. Pinkie nodded sagely, writing everything down in her pink notebook with pink pages, using a pink pen. "Uh, talk to _myself_, of course," he added quickly. "No need to involve anyone else…"

Robbie paced some more.

"Just because I say it out loud doesn't make it any more real, right? It's just a silly dream, after all."

He headed back over to his fluffy orange lazy boy chair and flopped down into it. Heaving a shuddering breath, he began the process of the "talk remedy."

"I've been having this, this _nightmare._" He gestured vaguely with his hands. "Almost _every_ night! Ever since that blue Sportagunk flipped into LazyTown..."

Robbie shuddered at the thought of what all that flipping must do for the metabolism.

"It's horrible. I can never force myself to wake up from it either. No matter how hard I try!" Robbie sighed, shaking his head. "I'm both the observer and participant. As the observer I can only watch in horror as my doppelganger _enjoys _himself on a picnic with—" he gagged, "—Sportacus!" Robbie jumped up from the chair and wrapped his arms around his suddenly cold body, pacing to and fro.

"And we're eating _healthy things_." His hands flapped about, no longer clutching his shoulders. "His horrible _sports candy_," he spat. "Why would I enjoy _that?_ I wouldn't! It would make me sick. It _does_ make me sick!" He stomped his foot and grumbled.

"Argh! I need some fresh air. This talking thing isn't helping a bit." He paused. "Wait, haven't I heard somewhere that fresh air is _good_ for you?" He struck a thoughtful pose. "Hm, I could always….have some cake?" He glanced at his refrigerator. "I'm all out of cake!" His face fell into his hands. "Candy?" an eyebrow rose. "No, I don't feel like eating... Agh, who cares? I'm going out." Robbie clambered up the pipe that connected him to the rest of the world.

oOoOo

Sportacus looked worriedly at the clock, as he had been every five minutes for the past two hours. Exhaustion tugged at his eyelids, but he just couldn't seem to slip into sleep, and this time he couldn't blame it on Robbie's ball.

"This has never happened before…" Sportacus laced his fingers and placed his hands under his head. "Maybe if I just got up, it would help things… A nice evening stroll might do the trick."

Swinging his legs around, he slid out of bed, and promptly yawned.

"Stop teasing me." He tried to force a smile. "I know you won't be able to fall asleep, so knock off the yawning." He yawned again. "Door," he spoke with much less enthusiasm than normal to the portal. "Ladder." The ladder flipped down from the ship and Sportacus began his descent, taking more time than usual, making sure he didn't misplace his feet because of fatigue.

oOoOo

Robbie actually did love the stars very much, something he had almost forgotten about.

"I haven't been outside to just look at the stars in years," he said. They twinkled at him. Robbie always thought the stars looked like little shards of a shattered glimmery thing stuck in the hide of a large, dark creature. "Maybe I'll just sit down here and watch them a little," he situated himself down in the grass cross-legged at the base of a small apple tree. The tree stood by itself halfway up a hill Robbie hadn't realized he was climbing. "No one will see me at this hour anyway." His eyes glazed over as he slipped into a stupor, still worrying about the visions that disrupted each of his sleeping moments.

oOoOo

Sportacus strolled up his favorite grassy hill. It was the best one around. Being on the outskirts of LazyTown it was the best vantage point besides his blimp for keeping track of the kids. Plus, it had no hidden holes, bumps, or rocks lying in wait in the grass, so it was perfect for rolling down on those cheerful sunny summer days. Only one tree stood on the side of it, halfway up, providing shade on the days that got just a little too warm when the sun was beaming down at its brightest.

He hummed happily, remembering tumbling down the emerald hill with Stephanie and the rest of the kids. "That was a good day. Even Robbie rolled down once," he laughed out loud. "I sure feel good for being up this la--" he stopped. A figure was seated serenely in the shadows underneath his tree. Not that it was _his_ tree, really. Anyone was more than welcome to be there, Sportacus loved to have company, but who else was out this late? Sportacus contemplated leaving the person be, incase his company wasn't welcome, but curiosity got the better of him. He moved quietly towards the tree, not quite creeping. How could anyone sit so _still?_

"Oh!" Sportacus exclaimed quietly when Robbie's distinct features became clear. Sitting cross-legged with his chin resting in one hand, Sportacus had never seen the man in such a calm state. Something in his chest fluttered strangely as he watched Robbie's chest moving slightly in and out. Robbie's gaze was stuck up in the stars and he hadn't noticed the superhero's arrival. His eyes glittered in the moonlight; a small frown held his dark eyebrows close together.

Sportacus wondered briefly if he should get Robbie's attention and disturb this uneasy peace. He glanced at his crystal. It hadn't lit, but he decided that Robbie needed someone to talk to, even if his crystal hadn't alerted him.

"Robbie?"

Robbie blinked rapidly and squinted through the darkness. He tensed, recognizing the short and sturdy build of Sportacus' silhouette. _What is _he_ doing up?_

"Sportakoo—er—cus? What do you want?" He glared. "I suppose I'm sitting in your spot, am I?" He crossed his arms. "Well, just try and move me. I deserve to be here too, you know. It's a free country."

Sportacus sighed at his hostile demeanor. "Two can fit in this spot, Robbie," he sat down next to him. He wanted to calm the man down enough so they could talk. If Robbie wanted to, that was. He looked into the glaring hazel eyes, searching for clues to help him sooth the ruffled state of mind Robbie was in. The last thing he wanted to do was force him to talk. He didn't want to push. If all he needed was to quietly sit next to someone, Sportacus could do that. He was just tired enough to be still for once, for a little while at least.

Robbie blinked. _Why's he staring at me? Big blue elf… He needs to learn some manners._ He forced his eyes to look away from Sportacus' bright blue caring ones. _If I leave, Sportacus wins, because he gets his spot back. So I won't leave. But I won't _talk, _either._

Sportacus smiled before stretching out on his back and gazing up at the stars through the leaves of the small apple tree. Robbie stewed by his side, refusing to look at him. Until, that is, he heard slight snoring coming from Sportacus, who was merely a bluish blur in the corner of his vision.

Robbie finally let his eyes rest on the sleeping ball of energy. _Ugh, _he sneered. _Why does he always have to be so…so…at _peace_ with everything? Doesn't anything ever get under his skin?_

Robbie's gaze wandered over Sportacus. A muscle twitched in his arm, and Robbie watched it, fascinated at the movement. The muscle twitched so vigorously, it was a wonder that Sportacus did not wake up from it. Then again, someone with that much energy must get used to a few twitches during the night.

Finally the twitching stopped, and Robbie's eyes continued to wander. There was a patch of skin exposed where the blue and white shirt had ridden up. A strange thought trickled through Robbie's defenses…_I've never seen Sportacus' stomach before._ His eyes grew large. _Not that I want to know what it looks like! I don't…_

Memories of his dream bubbled up from the dark place he had pushed them into. The two of them, sitting happily together under a tree on a grassy sunlit hill. Suddenly, Robbie had had enough of this tranquil little gathering. "Sportacus," he poked the man in the ribs. "What do you want?"

Sportacus' eyes blinked open and he looked up at Robbie with an expression of bewilderment. "What?" He scanned their surroundings with bleary eyes. "Was I sleeping?"

"Yes, you were. And you insisted on sitting next to me in the middle of the night. I was just wondering what it is that you wanted."

"Oh," Sportacus smiled. "Nothing, Robbie. I just wanted to help."

"Well, I certainly don't need the company, if that's what you're worried about. I spend plenty of time on my own, so I'm used to it by now." Robbie tugged self-consciously on his vest. "In fact, if given a choice over noise and being alone, I'd take loneliness any—" he cut himself off, realizing what he had just admitted to the goodie goodie hero of the town. "Not that I'm lonely. Don't get it in your head that you need to fix me or anything. I'm fine the way I am."

Sportacus shook his head, smiling. "You don't need fixing Robbie. I _like_ you the way you are." His eyes twinkled.

Robbie wanted to gag. The words that had just spilled so easily from his archrival's mouth were so sickly sweet. But…the gag wouldn't come. Instead, his eyes started to burn and it felt like something was pressing on the back of his throat. No one had ever said that to him before. Ever. Not even as a lie to get something from him. And Sportacus wasn't lying. Sportacus never lied. Sportacus didn't want anything, he had just _said_ it, for no reason at all! How _dare_ that twirling elf make him feel this way? Angry tears welled up in his eyes.

Sportacus gasped as the glistening in Robbie's eyes spilled over and ran down his pale cheeks. It felt horrible watching the liquid grief roll down Robbie's face. Sportacus was supposed to keep everyone in LazyTown happy, just like the famous LazyTown stone had said. His heart hurt. "Robbie…" He reached out to wipe the tears away from Robbie's face. His heart fluttered again at the surprisingly smooth warmth his hand caressed.

Robbie felt himself longing to lean into the touch. Instead, he jerked his head away and jumped up. "Don't touch me!" he practically shrieked at the startled hero. "I don't need anyone to help me, understand?" Angry tears still burned in his eyes. "Especially you." He stalked away, disappearing into the night.


	2. A Plan is Hatched

DISCLAIMER: I still don't own LazyTown, nor am I getting any type of monetary gain from this story. And seriously, there's not much I would change if I did. Oh, a few things here and there…but, there's not much you can do to perfect brilliance. 'Cept add kisses (:squees:). And not the chocolate kind, because Sportacus wouldn't like that...although Robbie would be thrilled.

A/N: So here's chapter two. Sorry it took so long. I had it written a while ago, but I was avoiding it for some reason. Anywho, thanks to Razothredfire to beta-ing for me. And thanks to everyone who reviewed my first chapter: Razoth, LA Suka, Chewing Gum, Kytten, and Jareth-King. You're all wonderful. Cookies all around! Hee.

A Slippery Slope

Chapter 2: A Plan is Hatched

Sportacus felt horrible about the whole thing. For one, he couldn't figure out what he did wrong. And second… Well, the fact that he did something wrong in the first place. It seemed like he could never do well when it involved Robbie Rotten. Everyone else loved him, adored him even. But not Robbie. Sportacus only wanted to know why Robbie disliked him so much. He certainly tried to treat the semi-villain kindly, extending his hand in friendship time and time again. Sportacus rescued him just as much, if not more, than the rest, whether or not he knew it was Robbie he was setting out to rescue. Robbie seemed grateful after the fact, but only for a few brief moments, when he seemed too dazed to dish out his usual spiteful remarks. After the haze cleared he was just as petulant as ever. He would grudgingly accept that he had been saved by the town hero once again, and then slink away back to his home, wherever that was. Sportacus let him go because that's what he thought Robbie wanted. But now he wasn't so sure. Robbie had said he was lonely. Sportacus didn't like that. He needed to make Robbie feel happy and loved, not lonely.

At the moment, Sportacus was wandering around LazyTown, searching for the MIA Robbie. He had stormed off earlier after Sportacus had wiped away the wet trails from his face. But Sportacus was worried. He couldn't find Robbie and it was late. He was functioning on borrowed energy obtained from the apple tree and there was no telling how long that energy would last. Robbie could get into serious trouble and Sportacus might be too tired to save him this time.

"I can't let that happen." Sportacus set a determined expression on his face and continued his search.

oOoOo

Robbie was a bit lost...but he really wasn't overtly worried. It was only LazyTown after all, population: nine. That's what it seemed like most of the time anyway. The only people Robbie ever noticed were the people that bothered him. Namely those kids and the blue jumping bean, and the Mayor, who _never_ listened to his complaints about the rising noise level of the town, and the idiot mayor's secretary, who had accidentally telephoned Robbie more times that he could count. Talk about false hope. Although she wasn't the worst of the bunch, since she was fairly lazy when she wasn't making a phone call.

A window box full of sickly sweet smelling flowers pouring out of it caught Robbie's eye. He looked through the glass panes above it into the room beyond.

A shining nightlight lit up the room so brightly that Robbie wondered how the occupant could sleep. He couldn't stand having a light on while he was trying to rest. That was why he lived underground. So he could stay unconscious all day long without that pesky sun sneaking in through his eyelids.

Robbie wondered only briefly who the occupant of the room was, before he noticed the main color scheme of the room. It was pink. Horribly pink. It looked like the inside of a Pepto-Bismol coated stomach. Robbie gagged.

It was Stephanie's room, the pink kid that Sportacus seemed to have such a soft spot for. She was also well on her way to becoming just as active and noisy as the blue elf himself.

"If she was only slightly older she would have snatched all of Sportacus' attention away already..." He growled at his reflection. "Why do I even _care?_" He smacked his hand on the glass, yelped, and quickly ducked underneath the window box, lest someone catch him hovering outside of an eight-year-old's bedroom in the middle of the night. A few moments later he heard the latch click unlocked. The Mayor's weary voice drifted out of the now open window. Robbie held his breath.

"There's nothing out here, Stephanie, see? Now, won't you go to sleep? It's after midnight and Sportacus is always saying how important sleep is, you know."

"Yes, Uncle..."

The window slid shut and Robbie started breathing again with a gasp.

"Silly little girl, afraid of loud noises." He felt the urge to carry out a devious plan against her. It just wasn't fair that Sportacus liked her so much. Robbie tried to be liked, sometimes. Okay, not really. But the pink nymph didn't try either. All she had to do was be herself and the blue pixie adored her. Sportacus had said he liked Robbie the way he was, but "liked" was probably stretching it. He _tolerated_ him, at best.

"Maybe I want more than just toleration." He made a face. "I can't believe that she actually called me a softie..." He peeked back up over the window sill. Pinkie seemed to be back asleep. "Maybe...if she wasn't so adorably pink, Sportacus wouldn't like her so much." He rubbed his hands together; a malevolent smile crept onto his face.

"Time to get some supplies."

---

A few minutes later Robbie was back with a can full of lime green paint and a pair of scissors.

"Good thing I keep a few necessary items stashed in most of the mailboxes around town. Now let's see..." Robbie tried to force open the window. "It's locked. Of course she'd be too scared to keep it open after I accidentally attacked it. Let's see...ah! The Mayor's ladder." Robbie grabbed the ladder and set it against the house, trying to make as little noise as possible. "Don't want to wake up the pretty little princess again, do we?"

Robbie struggled up the ladder, juggling the paint can and shears.

"These do not make for an easy climb," he huffed. "But I can't leave them behind." He looked down at the instruments he was clutching fiercely and caught sight of the ground. "This ladder had better be sturdier than that fence was." It shifted as Robbie prepared to continue up. "Guess not," he whimpered.

Taking a few deep breaths, and reminding himself how much he did not like the little pink chit, he found the strength to continue up to the next rung.

---

Sportacus was close to panicking now. He knew that Robbie wasn't always able to take care of himself. He needed both hands to count the number of times he had saved Robbie in the short while he had been at LazyTown. And it was even more dangerous this late at night. Sportacus could barely see the skateboard he just managed to hop over, too tired to pull off a flip. He couldn't imagine what trouble Robbie might be getting into. Luckily his crystal hadn't lit yet, which was why he was only _close _to panicking, and not actually throwing a fit.

The slight moonlight reflected in Sportacus' eyes as he looked up to the sky. It was such a quiet night that the sudden beeping of his crystal sounded as loud as a car horn. A rush of adrenaline flowed into his bloodstream. His chest blazed so brightly he almost missed the vision that flashed before his eyes.

Sportacus sprinted towards Stephanie's house.

oOoOo

Robbie was finally up on the roof. It had taken him longer than he had planned, but that was fine, he had all night.

"Better safe than sorry," Robbie murmured while tip-toeing across the roof. "Now I just need to slide down the chimney, find Stephanie's room, and give her a haircut and color she won't _ever_ forget." Robbie laughed loudly. "And then, because the pink sprite is no longer adorable, Sportacus will leave LazyTown, forever!" He paused. "Maybe not." He sighed. "But I'm still going to mess with Pinker because... I. Don't. Like. Her," he gritted out. "She's too...bouncy." _And way too close to Sportacus..._

"Now, to get in and ruin her--" Robbie's foot slid on a loose shingle and he tilted precariously towards the edge. His feet scrambled to get his body balanced, but the dew that had started to form on the roof's surface kept them from stabilizing. As Robbie felt himself lean past the point of no return, it occurred to him that the shoddy roof work of the Mayor would be the end of him. He always knew it would. _Ever since I knocked down his fence...I knew his work wanted revenge...and now it has it._

He plummeted towards the ground.


	3. Safe Landing?

DISCLAIMER: Same as before...(see chapters 1 & 2)...don't own, don't sell...including the lyrics taken from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Stadium Arcadium" down at the end there.

A/N: Chapter 3! Unbeta'ed! (:cringes:) Tell me what you think, and I'll fix it, promise ;) ...Does anyone _want _to beta? Razoth has gotten a little busy as of late, and I hate to bother her... Let me know if anyone's interested :) And I'm sorry this took forever again… Besides the fact that I'm a natural procrastinator, there was a death in the family…which involved a ten hour drive to get to the funeral in Arkansas :(

Nothing like coming back to discover more people have read your story though :D Much love to Kytten, Jareth-King, LoveTHYconan, AnonyMiss731, moose lips, and Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac for the loverly reviews ;)

A Slippery Slope

Chapter 3: Safe Landing?

Sportacus' mind was enveloped in a white blanket of fear. His heart frantically pumped oxygen into his adrenaline-laced bloodstream. The muscles in his legs burned as he pushed them to carry him faster and faster. Just as he reached the Mayor's house a dark blur fell from the roof into his outstretched arms.

"Robbie!"

Robbie's eyes were wide and frantic. He clutched at the blue vest in front of him. "Sportacus?"

"Yes." A surge of happiness flowed through him. Robbie was safe. He had made it in time.

Robbie sighed and untwisted his hands from Sportacus' clothing. "Thank you," his voice was shaking slightly.

"You're welcome." Sportacus still held Robbie tightly to him. There was something about this rescue that scared him more than all the others. He didn't know _why_ exactly, but he wanted Robbie to know that someone cared.

Robbie squirmed.

"You can put me down now, Elf."

"Oh, sure, Robbie." Sportacus tightened his grip slightly, giving Robbie a half-hug, before allowing him to plant his feet on the ground. Robbie was still a little jittery.

"You know, Sportakook, I've fallen from a roof before. It was this very roof in fact." His hands fluttered over his vest, brushing away imperceptible particles of dust. "And I landed just fine last time. You really shouldn't be such a worry wart." He crossed his arms and attempted to project an air of disinterest.

Sportacus smiled, then stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the seemingly impassive man.

Robbie instantly tensed at the contact. Sportacus' strong grip felt _very_ nice around him, and that was _very_ bad. He shivered as soft breathing ghosted across his ear.

"I'll always worry about you, Robbie. Even if I leave town forever, I'll still wonder if you need me."

Robbie shuddered. He kept his arms resolutely down at his sides. It was the hardest thing he had ever done. But he had to restrain himself. If he hugged the blue elf, who knew what he might do next? He might turn his head and press his lips to the inviting neck that was _right there_, just to see what it felt like. Or let his hands creep under that pristine white and blue shirt. Robbie knew that if he did anything similar to either of those oh so helpful suggestions, even Sportacus would find it difficult to accept him.

He finally lifted his arms up, but not to return the embrace. Instead, he pushed Sportacus away to a safer distance.

"Robbie?"

"Don't do that again, Sportaflop." Robbie's heart constricted as the hero's cheerful expression crumbled. "And stop trying to be my friend. You wouldn't like me if you got to know me, I'm sure of it. I'm a nasty villain, remember? I live underground and eat junk food. I laze around all day and—"

Something drew his attention back to Pinkie's window. But when he looked the room was dark and still. Sportacus didn't seem to notice anything unusual, so Robbie dismissed it.

"Why are you so sure?" It was Sportacus' turn to fold his arms across his chest. "I think I should be allowed to make that decision for _myself_."

"Just...trust me." Robbie turned to stalk away. Thoughts of finally getting to sleep cheered him slightly. _Maybe if I'm tired enough that _dream_ won't have a chance to show up. Although by now I'm probably just going to have to accept it… At least it's more peaceful than dealing with the real thing._

"Robbie!" Sportacus swiftly caught hold of the man's bony wrist before he could make his getaway.

"_What?_" Robbie snarled. He glared at the broad hand wrapped around his trapped appendage, before lifting his gaze up.

"I can learn to accept anything you might come up with, honestly," Sportacus stated. "I can help you feel better about yourself and get a good night's sleep—"

"Like you're such an expert, up at this time of night," Robbie scoffed.

"Well, tonight's an exception…I don't know why I couldn't fall asleep." Sportacus looked worriedly at Robbie. "It's a good thing I couldn't. You could have really gotten hurt falling from the roof, Robbie."

"I told you already I would have been _fine._ And I wouldn't have been up there in the first place if it weren't for you!" He snatched his hand away from Sportacus' iron grip. A slight pain flared there for a moment, but he was used to bumps and bruises. His hand flopped loosely as he quickly shook it off.

"Why?" Sportacus tilted his head. "What did I do?"

Robbie closed his eyes to block out the (almost edible) expression of confusion on his nemesis' face.

"You fell _asleep_."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Robbie." Sportacus stepped closer to him. Robbie's eyes were still closed tightly, so he didn't notice the change in proximity. "Was that all?"

"Well, no—you…I…" Robbie spluttered.

"Robbie…" Sportacus put a hand on Robbie's shoulder. "Was it because I saw you crying?"

Robbie's eyes flew open. "No! I wasn't—"

"You weren't? But Robbie, I wiped them from your face…" He brushed the back of his hand across Robbie's flushed cheek. "They were right there. I felt them."

Robbie didn't move his head away. His eyes were wide and he couldn't seem to blink, or look away from the engaging blue eyes of the blue sports fairy.

"It's okay, you know, to cry. We all need to vent pent up emotion sometimes. It's not good for you to hold everything inside."

"But I don't care what's "good for you," remember?"

Sportacus shook his head. "But it doesn't feel good, does it? Eating cake and lazing around might feel good to you, but surely restricting yourself doesn't...?"

Rather than answer the probing questions, Robbie looked past Sportacus into the bushes behind them. A pale cicada sat on a leaf there, shedding its shell, struggling to free the wings that would forever be disfigured if they weren't released in time. Robbie felt like that bug. His skin felt tight, like it didn't fit properly any longer. He wished he could shed it as easily as the insect.

"Robbie?"

Robbie didn't want to look at Sportacus again. He was right. It hurt to keep everything in. But it would be much more painful if the elf ever truly hated him. And he would. If Robbie looked at Sportacus, glanced into those glittering depths that were as blue as the ocean… Robbie was certain that he would end up corrupting him, tainting him. Everything Robbie touched turned rotten. That was his name after all; it fit well. Everyone he had ever felt fondly of ended up leaving in the end.

Robbie flinched as a dusty memory came sharply into focus. He had tried very hard to keep it buried, but nothing could erase the scarred moment from his childhood.

Many years ago, on a bright summer day, Robbie and another boy (his name had been lost in the fog of time) had discovered a raspberry bush during the course of their adventures. Serving as an excellent substitute to the usual mud pies, the little fruits burst on their tongues and stained their fingers wonderfully. They shared secret grins, before beginning a lighthearted game of "war," artfully dodging and reloading their individual stocks of berries quickly.

The rest was a bit blurry, but Robbie could remember a wrestling match that ended with them both sitting underneath the thorny plant. Robbie liked his playmate very much, and wanted to show that he enjoyed his company, so he kissed him. Robbie didn't think much of it; he had seen other people do it lots of times. His friend looked at him funny, but didn't say anything, and so they had continued to play.

Later that night, after the boy had been sent home, Robbie's father brought out his best belt and whipped him with it, not minding if the buckle made contact occasionally. His father had apparently seen Robbie's slight display of affection, and hated him for it. Robbie never saw the sweet raspberry boy again. Neither did he eat another piece of fruit or enjoy the rays of the sun.

Anger rose up in Robbie as he blinked the memory away.

"Get _away_ from me!" He batted Sportacus' hands away. "You don't know what you're asking!" Robbie whirled away from Sportacus, practically jogging in the direction of his home.

This time, Sportacus let him go, sadly gazing after him until he disappeared into the darkness.

Sportacus sighed, and turned towards his mobile home.

"I know more than you think, Robbie," he muttered to the night air.

Tomorrow was going to be a rough day.

oOoOo

Two large brown eyes stared out of the window at the defeated form of Sportacus. His shoulders were slumped and he looked _exhausted. _He barely even made it up the ladder.

Stephanie slid open her window after making sure the town hero was sealed safely in his airship.

"Good thing I opened this a little when I heard footsteps on the roof," she whispered to a cicada sitting in a bush next to her. "They sure were standing awful close..."

The bug fluttered its glistening wings.

She sighed. "I wonder why Robbie was so angry…Sportacus just saved his life. You'd think he'd be a little more grateful! I know I would have been..." She blushed.

She poked the large insect gently and it climbed on.

"I wish Robbie wasn't so uptight all the time. If he could just realize that we would all love him if he stopped trying so hard to ruin our fun! He could even have fun with us too..."

She held the insect up close and peered into one of its black eyes.

"I think someone needs to help Robbie mellow out a little. Don't you think, Mr. Bug?"

It fluttered its wings again, shaking the last of the dew off, and flew off into the night.

oOoOo

_Bells around St. Petersburg, when I saw you._

_I hope I get what you deserve._

_And this is where I find,_

_smoke surrounds your perfect face,_

_and I'm falling..._

--Stadium Arcadium, Red Hot Chili Peppers

A/N: Okay...good? Bad? Horribly confusing? It's so hard to remember that not everyone can see inside my head...

Oh, and technically a cicada takes like an hour to shed its skin and two more for the wings to dry, before they can actually fly off. Obviously Sport and Robbie weren't standing there for three hours...so I'm invoking the right of an author to use the "artistic license." It rights all wrongs... :)

Oh, and because Robbie is my fav character in the show, the fic's a little Robbie heavy at the moment...but I will try to give Sportacus a more depth in the future.


	4. The Storm Gathers

DISCLAIMER: Same as chapters 1-3. I DON'T OWN LazyTown. And frankly, I'm kinda glad…it sounds like a lot of work :-/

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I feel so loved. Thanks again to Jareth-King, Kytten, AnonyMiss731, LoveTHYConan, LA Suka, Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac, Chewing Gum, and moose lips. And to the newcomers, Ranma Higurashi, The Shekinah, and authoraisarete, welcome!

A Slippery Slope

Chapter 4: The Storm Gathers

Ziggy skipped happily across the street, making sure to both ways first, and headed for the tree house. His dark red stained tongue flicked out to slurp the lollipop glued to his hand. The taste buds danced as they remembered the wonderful taste of the raspberry sucker once again. Ziggy was so incredibly energetically happy he couldn't contain the giggle that bubbled out. His cup was definitely half _full _today. Heck, it was overflowing it was so full. Ziggy suddenly realized that he had a responsibility to spread his good cheer, thoughout LazyTown.

Ziggy changed course and headed for Pixel's house; he always had the best toys.

Before he got very far, a cool breeze ruffled through his blonde hair, causing a shiver to crawl up his back. Ziggy looked up into the sky and saw dark storm clouds rolling in over LazyTown. He quickened the pace of his short legs and hurried to Pixel's.

oOoOo

No one had seen Sportacus all day.

True, it was still only about ten o'clock in the morning, but Sportacus was usually up at the break of dawn…or earlier.

Stephanie was beside herself with worry.

"Pixel!" she shouted through the font door of the technologically advanced wiz kid. She hoped he would be able to help her brainstorm up a few ideas on how to get a hold of Sportacus. She had already sent up a dozen letters to the airship, and he hadn't answered a single one of them.

She pounded on the impassive slab of wood. "Pixel!" she shouted his name a second time, readying her fist to bang again, when the door swung open and Pixel's surprised face entered her field of vision.

"Stephanie, what's up?"

"Pixel, I need your help…I can't find Sportacus! He hasn't answered _any_ of the letters I've sent up to the airship this morning, and I've sent like ten!" Stephanie's eyes were wild and her pink hair was horribly frazzled.

"Whoa, whoa, alright. Come on in and we'll see what we can think—"

"Pixel! Stephanie!"

Stephanie whipped around and spotted Ziggy briskly waddling up to the pair.

"Ziggy! Have _you_ seen Sportacus around today?"

Ziggy shook his head, panting. "No, I was just looking for someone to play with." The grin slipped from his face when he noticed his friends' somber moods. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Well, yeah. Stephanie's been trying to contact Sportacus all morning and he hasn't answered," Pixel looked to Stephanie and she nodded emphatically.

"Oh no!" Ziggy gasped. "We should _do_ something!"

"We were just about to start diagramming a plan of attack when you showed up."

"Oh, okay, great! We should get some rope! And maybe a ladder, and some paint so we can make signs! And more letters—"

"Actually," Stephanie cut through Ziggy's chatter. "Could you go get Stingy and Trixie and tell them to meet us at my uncle's house?"

"Okay, sure, yeah, I will!" Ziggy scuttled off like a superhero on a mission.

oOoOo

"_What?_ Why would you want to talk to _Robbie Rotten?_" Trixie exclaimed.

"Yeah, and why do you think he'll even _want_ to help?" Stingy scoffed.

The five children stood in the kitchen of the Mayor's house. Numerous baking tools and ingredients were strewn about the countertops.

Stephanie shrugged in response to the incredulous looks of her friends.

"It might take some convincing, but I think he's the only one that can help us." She reached for a box of chocolate cake mix out of the cupboard; they continued to stare at her. "We've tried everything else!" she huffed. "He's our last chance…"

Silence. No one wanted to ask Robbie Rotten for help. He was mean…and scary. What if he did something terrible to them while Sportacus was missing? They might never be saved…

Stephanie's eyes glistened. "What if Sportacus conked his head and he's lying up there bleeding?" her soft words thinly veiled her anger at their hesitancy. "What if he's deathly ill and too weak to come down to visit the doctor?"

The four flinched at her sharp words.

"That would be bad," Trixie stated meekly.

"Yeah," Ziggy sniffed, wiping at his eyes.

"We'll help you talk to Robbie, Stephanie," Stingy humbly offered.

"It's the least we can do in return for all the times he's helped us out," Pixel agreed.

"Okay, great," Stephanie brightened. "We should bake a cake for Robbie first. At least it'll help us get our feet in the door…"

The sounds of clinking kitchenware and utensils filled the room as they worked in silence, each thinking about what life would be like if Sportacus never showed his face again. Things would return to the way things were B.S…Before Sportacus and Stephanie. When no one played outside together, when everyone stayed indoors and mostly played by themselves.

Before long, Ziggy looked up questioningly at Stephanie. "Why would we want our feet in the door?"

oOoOo

"Be careful!"

The cake was so large it took Stephanie, Stingy, Trixie _and_ Pixel to get it all the way from the Mayor's house to the cow billboard on the outskirts of LazyTown. Ziggy was helping direct them.

The big purple and white painted cow stared down at the group from its perch on the huge sign. It felt almost as if the cow was slightly miffed about the invasion of privacy. But that was silly…

"How did you know where Robbie lived anyway, Stephanie?" Stingy looked around the cake at Stephanie and it wobbled precariously.

She took a few moments to answer, waiting until the tower of chocolate had settled once again.

"Remember that day, when Sportacus saved Robbie from the top of this billboard? Well, I saw him go behind it later that day and I followed him."

"Oo," Trixie grinned. "That's pretty sneaky of you, Pinkie."

"I was only curious," Stephanie shrugged, and then gasped as the cake swayed. As they rounded the corner, the hatch to Robbie's hideout came into view. "Okay, Ziggy, go knock on that for us, would you?"

Ziggy nodded, and started for the door, then stopped suddenly.

"Oh! I forgot to put the lollipops on the cake!" He searched through his pockets before producing a few bright candies. They looked like little red planets, shot with swirls of blue.

"What kind are those, Ziggy?" Pixel asked.

"And are you sure they're not _mine?_" Stingy accused.

"They're raspberry. Aren't they pretty?" Ziggy giggled. "And I'm sure they're not yours, Stingy, my mom just got them for me today."

"And they're _Robbie's_ now, anyway. If he'll have them." Stephanie looked pointedly at Stingy and he grumbled under his breath. "My candy… Always taking my things… No one ever shares with me…"

After placing the suckers in the exact right spots on the cake, Ziggy scurried to the hatch and knocked loudly.

They all waited tensely for a few seconds, but there was no answer.

"Knock again, Ziggy," Stephanie whispered.

This time after Ziggy knocked, a small sign popped up out of a hidden tube in the ground at the base of the hatch. It read: "No knocking. Must ring doorbell if expecting an answer." An arrow pointed to a big purple button on the side of the entrance.

Ziggy pressed it, and a few moments later the intercom above crackled to life.

"Yes? What is it?" Robbie's irritated voice blasted out at them.

"Robbie? Is that you?" Ziggy shouted.

"Yes, who else would it be? And there's no need to shout, I'm right here. Who are _you?_"

"Um, this is Ziggy. Pixel, Trixie, Stingy, and Stephanie are all here too. We were wondering if you could help us rescue Sportacus?"

"Rescue _Sportacus? _That blowhard? Why would I want to do something like _that?_"

"Well um…" Ziggy stuttered. "Because he might be in trouble, and we didn't know who else to ask and—"

"We brought cake," Trixie stepped in, cutting Ziggy's chatter short.

Robbie fell silent. "Cake?"

"Yes, Robbie, and you can have it _all_ if you agree to help us," Stephanie spoke into the intercom.

"_All_ of it?" Stingy asked quietly. Stephanie glared at him.

"It's a double trouble, chocolate gooey yummy cake," Trixie said sweetly.

"Yeah! We heard that was your favorite!" Ziggy said excitedly.

The intercom fell silent and soon the sound of Robbie's footsteps climbing up the ladder could be heard echoing up the chamber.

The hatch lid creaked open and Robbie tumbled out, fork in hand.

"Alright, where's this cake?"

oOoOo


	5. Swaying

DISCLAIMER: No poseo LazyTown: Spanish for "I don't own LazyTown." I think…at least that's what google tells me. Yo también que no hace ningún dinero de esto.

A/N: My God! I've updated! I'm sorry it took so long, I feel really badly about it…but once I had seen all the episodes (except for "Pixel's Pics" or something like that) I sorta lost interest and got into a bunch of other things…but I found my way back again, luckily. I hate it when other people abandon their fics, and I hope to never do that to one of my own. It might take months in between, but I will finish, I promise.

And I'm real sorry I stopped replying to reviews. I started feeling guilty about how long it was taking me to update, and I guess I'm lazy…but thank you all SO MUCH for leaving me such wonderful comments: Fallen Iceangel, AnonyMiss731, Kytten, Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac, Chewing Gum, Ugly Narcissist, LoveTHYconan, The Shekinah, SaphireMMTPX, Ranma Higurashi, Sekhmet's Moon, Pocketface, authoraisarete, Bad Wolf, Dying Redemption, and KrysSaiyan. I adore you all!

So here's the next chapter. I do believe there will only be one more after this. And I have it outlined and everything so it shouldn't take five months to write! Yay!

On with the show!

A Slippery Slope

Chapter 5: Swaying

Robbie gasped as he spotted the tower of chocolate, which was leaning slightly since both the tallest cake carriers, Pinkie and Carrot Stick Head, were supporting it on the same side.

It was marvelous creation. The frosting glistened and the lollipops sparkled in the bright morning sunlight. The suckers he would save for later; hard candy was his least favorite of all the variations of sugar, but they would do in a pinch.

A twinge of regret fluttered through Ziggy as Robbie took the candies off the cake, carefully licking away the frosting from the sticks before tossing them down the hatch. A wave of pride quickly snuffed the feeling however, as Ziggy reminded himself that Sportacus needed help, and he would do anything to aid the superhero.

The children held their breaths as Robbie took a forkful of the gorgeous chocolate cake. The future of the town hero depended on it. If it wasn't good enough, Robbie might decide he needn't help them. Everything rested on the first impression. Similar thoughts raced through their minds. _'Did we put enough sugar in? Had the butter been sitting on the counter too long? Was it the right kind of frosting?'_

"My God!" Robbie gasped.

They cringed, expecting the worst.

"This is the best cake I've ever eaten!" He quickly shoved in another mouthful. "You all are now my cook-slaves."

Ziggy laughed nervously while the others exchanged looks of horror. They set the cake down on the ground and slowly backed away.

Robbie took no notice of their fear. "Okay, tell me why Sportacake needs rescuing while I eat the rest of this thing," Robbie demanded before stuffing his face.

Their story was a little hard to follow, since all five of them attempted to tell him at once. Fortunately after a speaker was delegated it went much smoother. As the children outlined the events of the morning, stressing their worry for the hero's safety repeatedly, Robbie continued to eat, but at a slower rate that usual. His stomach was doing some very odd flips and twists, making it hard to feel much like eating. But he forked down as much as he could, not only to keep his strength up, but to save face in front of the brats.

After their story was finished, he stuck his utensil in the desert and tossed what was left of it (more than he would have liked, leftovers were never as good) down his hatch.

"Won't that be a mess, just throwing it down there like that?" Stingy gasped.

Robbie glared at him. "No, Mr. Anal Retentive. Nothing is ever a mess when I throw it down there."

"Oh," Stingy replied, making a note to look up 'anal retentive' when he got home.

"Anyway, sounds to me like Sportacus just needed a day to sleep in after being up all night," Robbie shrugged.

"Who ever said he was up late?" Trixie said in her customary tone, which always sounded accusatory no matter what she said.

A faint pink tinge colored Robbie cheeks and he tensed. "No one, I suppose." His eyes shifted sideways and he crossed his arms. The memory of larger, stronger arms than his own encircling him made him frown.

Stephanie's eyes flashed. "Maybe he was…"

"You don't think he was up playing video games do you?" Pixel suggested.

Stingy laughed, "Sportacus doesn't play video games. He likes the real thing, remember?"

"Yeah, but what else would he be doing?"

"Oh, I don't know, anything. Looking at shiny things, counting the money in his piggy…"

"Why don't we ask Pinkie?" Trixie asked. While Pixel and Stingy had been pondering the late night habits of the superhero, Stephanie had fallen unusually silent.

"Huh? Ask me what?" She blinked and shook her head, as if dragging herself out of the muck.

"What do you think Sportacus was doing last night?" Trixie flung the words at Stephanie like daggers.

"Well, I dunno…" Stephanie answered evasively.

Trixie glared at her "You can do better than that, Stephanie."

She glanced at Robbie. "At one point he was outside my window."

Robbie started. _She _knows_? Wait, what does she know?_ He continued to watch the debate between the children play out.

"Doing what?"

Stephanie shrugged. "I couldn't tell. It was too dark to see much of anything." Which was true, really. She didn't mention that she could _hear_ everything that was said. She looked over again at Robbie, trying to read his expression as he glowered at her. Anger, confusion, and a glimmer of…apprehension? Her eyes widened.

Ziggy didn't like this at all. Everyone was so tense, he wasn't used to this kind of atmosphere. It never lasted long when Sportacus was around. But Sportacus wasn't around, that was the thing. And he was never going to _be_ around if they didn't stop this silly glaring contest, or whatever it was, right now and go _find_ him!

"Hey!" Ziggy blurted, startling everyone out of their standoffs. "We need to find Sportacus, not accuse each other of seeing him or not seeing him yesterday!"

Most of them had the grace to look abashed for a few seconds. Robbie was having none of it, however, and continued to seethe. However, when all ten little eyes turned to him in expectance, and something akin to hope, his anger subsided slightly.

"Alright, fine. We will walk to his blimp, and check if he is sleeping. If not, we'll think of something else." _Unless he's sleeping someplace other than his bed…_ An image of the blue elf sleeping on park bench under a few dirty newspapers flitted through Robbie's mind. He shook his head and puzzled at it. _What an odd picture…_

The rest of the gang cheered as they tramped towards the floating blimp.

oOoOo

Sportacus rolled onto his stomach and pulled the covers tighter. He hadn't slept later than five in the morning in a very long time, and it actually felt kind of nice. Although he was a lot more tired than he would have liked. The hours of the evening were more beneficial for the body than the hours in the morning. The body naturally likes to go to sleep and wake up with the sun. Sportacus shook his head and smiled. "The world doesn't end if you stay up past your normal bed time every once in a while though," he chuckled.

Sportacus snuggled further into the bedding, planning on dozing for another hour or so. Unless the crystal went off, which he was fully prepared to respond to. But hopefully it wouldn't. "Maybe the town will give me the morning off today..." he mumbled sleepily to himself.

Not only did Sportacus stay out late last night rescuing Robbie, but after he returned to his blimp he stayed up even later looking for something he urgently wanted—no, _needed_—to show the stubborn man.

Sportacus' eyes popped open. "That's right, I need to talk to Robbie." He threw off the comforter and hopped out of bed. "There's no use trying to sleep any longer now that my brain has started worrying about things." He shook his head. "But first thing's first," he looked around the room. "Making my bed and having a healthy breakfast."

oOoOo

tbc...teehee.


	6. Blue Skies

DISCLAIMER: Still don't own LazyTown. Making no money off of LazyTown or its inhabitants. Seriously…nothing at all. Simply twisted pleasure. Although, it's not that twisted really, is it? Nah, just simple pleasure then.

A/N: Hellooooo…remember me? (:crickets:) Anyone?

Happy Valentines Day! I did it: another chapter (:grins:) HORRIBLY late, I know. It was…oh dear, almost four months? Sorry about that (:sweatdrops:) Hm, and this beginning might look a little similar to the ending of the last chapter…I rewrote it. Not because I thought it was bad, per se. It was just because…when I went to start writing the next chapter (this chapter) I was in the car on the way to visit my grandmother in the hospital (she broke her hip) and couldn't remember exactly where I had left off chapter five. Then I couldn't figure out how to meld the two so I just snipped the ending off of five and saved it elsewhere, incase later I figure out how to integrate it…

Thanks again for the reviews guys! (:eyes glaze over:) My pretty, pretty reviews... clears throat KrysSaiyan, LoveTHYconan, The Shekinah (twice:kisses:), Glanni Glaepur, Kytten, allikat225, AnonyMiss731, Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac, and authoraisarete; you are all wonderful beyond words. Thank you (or anyone else who might not have left their paw prints) for reading.

Anyway, here's the next chapter, the longest yet, I do believe. Enjoy.

A Slippery Slope

Chapter 6: Blue Skies

Robbie glanced up at the blimp floating in the cheerful blue sky. The happy horizon was clear; not a single fluffy white cloud marred its perfection. Birds were chirping in the blossoming trees and butterflies flitted singly or in pairs about the verdant lawn. Sportacus' vessel hovered in the sapphire wasteland. Robbie frowned. _How is one expected to reach that stupid blue balloon anyway?_ A gentle breeze ghosted across his skin as the blimp shifted slightly, unblocking the sun. Robbie winced.

"It was bright enough without that gigantic ball of fire piercing my eyes."

The children ignored his grumblings.

"Well, how do we get up?" Trixie demanded. The rest of the kids exchanged brief looks before turning to Robbie.

"Don't ask me," he huffed. "I'm sure _I've_ never been up there."

Stephanie blinked. "Has anyone been up?"

The all shook their heads; Robbie continued to glare.

"Sportacus usually just calls his ladder down, right?" Pixel offered.

"Yeah!" Ziggy and Stingy agreed.

"So we should be able to call it down too!" Pixel continued.

"That won't work," Robbie interjected flatly.

"Why not?" Pixel was indignant, preparing to defend his suggestion.

"It's voice activated."

"We have voices," Trixie said haughtily.

"Yes," Robbie agreed impatiently, "but do you have _Sportacus'_ voice?"

They shared looks of confusion so identical it was almost comical. Had Robbie not been in such a lovely funk of a mood, he might have even laughed at them.

"I'm sure all of his gadgets are keyed to his voice only. I have a few I've created in the lab, and I make sure they only answer to _me_."

"Yeah, but that's _you_, Robbie. Sportacus _trusts_ people," Trixie blurted, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis.

The children nodded.

"Fine, go ahead and try it. You'll just that see I'm right, as always," Robbie crossed his arms.

"Okay, on three." Stephanie held up three fingers. "One." Ziggy held his breath. "Two." Stingy giggled. "Three!" Stephanie pumped her fist into the air as they all shouted _ladder!_ dramatically.

Nothing happened.

Robbie began to chuckle. "See? Didn't I tell you—"

:flipflipflipflip:

:CLUNK:

"Ow," Robbie held his head and glared at the offensive assault weapon, which had _finally_ descended to the group. It was a long way down from the airship.

"Yay!" the children chorused.

"Yippy," Robbie mocked.

"Mine!" Stingy clung to the ladder.

"Stingy," Stephanie admonished, prying his fingers off of the rungs. "We need to decide who's going up."

"I will, I will!" Stingy yelped. Visions of glittering treasure hiding in the floating fortress, which he would find and claim for his own, flashed before his eyes.

"Stingy, it's a loooong way up, and if you start to slip, we don't know if Sportacus will be able to rescue you, remember?" Stephanie continued to harp. Sometimes she felt like the sole voice of reason. _Especially now with Sportacus missing_. She sighed.

Stingy looked down. "Yeah, I guess," he agreed reluctantly.

"I can go! I'm a hero in-training! See my cape? See, see?" Ziggy pointed excitedly to the habitual, red cloth tied around his neck.

"Ziggy, same goes for you. You're still a hero _in-training_. You could fall too."

"Well, it's possible for _all_ of us to fall, isn't it?" Trixie pointed out.

"Yes," Pixel agreed, "but since Robbie is the most experienced with a ladder, he should be the one to go up."

"Me?" Robbie pointed to himself. "What makes you think you can volunteer me?"

Pixel shrugged.

"And experienced with a ladder, how?" Robbie tensed, suspicious of Pixel's suspected ability to monitor situations with hidden technology. _He_ was supposed to be the only one spying on the town. Who did Pixel think he was? Trying to cut in on his spying status... Did he see them last night, outside of Pinkie's room? Robbie was going to have a panic attack if one more of those brats found out about the…goings on of last night. It was bad enough that Pink Stink—

"You climb a ladder out of your home every time you come out, don't you?" Pixel explained.

"Oh," Robbie sighed. He was the only one spying after all. Then he tensed again, realizing what the wiz kid was suggesting. "Well, I guess—"

"Plus, since you're the oldest, you'll know what to do if Sportacus is _really_ in trouble," Stephanie reasoned.

Robbie arched a dark eyebrow.

"At least, more than we would, probably..." She trailed off.

Robbie stared, arms held stiffly at his sides. He didn't have any counterarguments for her.

"Do you really trust me to go up there myself?" He attempted to play the "villain" card.

It was Stephanie's turn to raise an eyebrow, as she gave Robbie a pointed look.

_Argh, she _knows!_ Cursed weaknesses for blue eyes and impossibly cut physiques._ Memories of the dream-picnic and last night's late-night-rendezvous broke free from where he had mentally padlocked them, and loudly announced that they had arrived in the forefront of his thoughts. _Agh! Get _out_ of my head!_

"Alright, alright, I'll go!" The kids jumped, startled at his sudden concession. Robbie ignored them, looking up the impossibly long, and _high_ ladder. He gulped and took a deep breath, hoping to steady his frantically beating heart. He _really_ hated heights. His eyes darted to Stephanie. He felt like the accused being fitted for the noose at the gallows; and Stephanie was the clergygirl in the pink robes asking if he had any last words before the boards were pulled. He shivered. Actually, he did have a closing statement he wouldn't mind making...

"I'll go, but _Pink Stuff _is coming with me."

Her eyes widened. Then she nodded bravely, her chest rising slightly.

"_What?!_ Why does _Stephanie_ get to go?" Stingy objected.

"Because Stephanie is the oldest, besides Robbie and me, and I _hate_ heights," Pixel shuddered.

"Yeah, but what are we supposed to do while the heroes are saving the day?" Trixie jabbed a thumb in the direction of Stephanie and Robbie, who had both gravitated towards the ladder.

Robbie scowled at her. "I can tell you what to do with that thumb you just thrust in my direction, but I don't know about the rest of your lovely self."

Trixie made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat, and opened her mouth to retort.

"Trixie," Stephanie preempted. "You guys can look around town in case there are any people that need to be helped, since Sportacus is off duty."

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Ziggy cheered.

"But at least one of you should stay here and keep a look out for us."

"Good idea, I'll stay," Pixel volunteered. He sat down, pulling a laptop out of his backpack. "I'll look up remedies for sugar overdose incase that's what happened to him."

"Good thinking," Stephanie clapped him on the back. "Now, you three…" She turned to Ziggy, Stingy, and Trixie. Ziggy hopped to attention and the other two followed after a little urging from the youngest. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to patrol the town and make sure no one is in trouble, besides Sportacus." They nodded. "Kneel." Stephanie grabbed her pink baton which had been leaning against a tree. "I dub thee: Deputy Heroes for the day. Now rise, as the new town heroes."

The three stood and saluted her, clicking their heels.

"Go forth and spread your justice," she gestured widely with her baton.

They scattered in three different directions, eager to prove themselves.

"Just make sure you don't get yourselves into any trouble!" Pixel called out after them.

oOoOo

"Okay, you guys ready?" Pixel looked to the two standing near the ladder.

Stephanie glanced at Robbie. "Me first?" She offered.

He glared at the rope ladder. "No, I'll go first."

A look of surprise blossomed across Stephanie's face.

"I don't want to spend the entire climb having to look up your skirt, or whatever that pink thing is that you always wear."

She rolled her eyes.

"Plus, this way if I fall, at least I'll have you to cushion me."

"And what if _I_ fall?" Stephanie put her hands on her hips.

"You're small. You'll bounce."

Stephanie let it drop. Robbie was a stubborn man, and if he wanted to go first he could go right ahead. There were perks to arguing with Robbie though, and now that she wasn't she had too much extra attention to spare on the fear settling in her stomach. She cleared her throat. "After you, Robbie," she stated, sweeping an arm towards the ladder and bowing slightly.

Robbie scowled at her pomp, but grabbed the rope ladder anyway. As he started to climb the horribly unstable contraption, he could feel the fear curling in his belly as well. He carefully placed his foot on the next rung, grumbling under his breath at the injustice of it all.

oOoOo

"_Ahh!_"

"Robbie!"

"It's _swaying!_"

"It's just a slight breeze, Robbie. Keep going."

"I can't keep going; I'm too busy holding on for dear life!"

"Robbie, just take a deep breath, lift your foot, and take the next step. My arms are getting tired and we're almost there, okay?"

Robbie nodded, his look of horror softening slightly.

Stephanie looked down at Pixel, tens of feet below, his orange hair just a dot in the green backdrop. She tightened her grip and forced herself to keep her eyes on her hands.

They continued up.

oOoOo

Sportacus was knee-deep in old boxes. He hadn't even been aware that so many were still in his closets, stored away for safekeeping. It wasn't that he was a clutter bug; he only kept the things which were dearest to his heart. Apparently, he held a whole lot dear that he had forgotten about over the years.

After a short but balanced breakfast he had tackled the numerous boxes, hoping to find a photo album he had had since he was very young. They contained the few pictures of his parents he was able to collect over the years. Sportacus couldn't remember his birth parents, really; they had died in an airplane accident when he was only two years old. He had then been raised by his grandparents. They were wonderful people, but Sportacus had always felt ostracized by the other kids because his guardians were so much older.

He sighed. _Not that it matters now… They're long gone and I am happy where I am._

At least, that's what he told himself. Lately, though, there seemed to be something missing. A sense of hollowness shadowed his joy. He loved the kids of LazyTown, they really were wonderful. But Sportacus wasn't a kid anymore. Stephanie was the closest he had to a "friend," and she was still too young to understand him completely. All of the kids hero-worshipped him and Sportcus didn't blame them for that. No, every child needed a hero-figure, and he was more than willing to be that for them. But…he needed something too. Not someone he could look _up_ to, he was secure enough in his own accomplishments to be beyond that stage, but someone he could look _to_. He needed someone who could see his faults as well as his accomplishments; who wouldn't be crushed if he slipped up a little; and who could criticize him, then help him better himself. Someone with dark hair and hazel eyes, who ate horribly and didn't like to exercise… Someone who would foil him perfectly.

Sportacus sighed again, opening a new box and shuffling through some old schoolwork. A drawing done with brightly colored crayons caught his attention. It was of him, in a blue shirt and pants, and another figure, wearing a purple top with long, blue jean-clad legs, sitting underneath a bush filled with tiny red hearts. It was a valentine he had received from one of his classmates. _Right before we moved away…_

He was getting warmer.

oOoOo

A/N: Okay, so I'm not so subtle (:shrugs:) I still like me. I debated whether or not I should have called this chapter The Valentine, but I figured that would be too corny. And yes, I do realize that I introduced a potential storm at the beginning of chapter four, and apparently now it's sunny as hell, with no word in between as to why it changed… It based on a kid's show people! Don't put too much thought into it…please? Oh, and I do have the next chapter at least somewhat started, so it shouldn't take four months. I hope.


	7. The Rescue

A/N: Man, I haven't watched the show in forever. I should probably do that...especially since I think Robbie _has_ been up to the airship, now that I think about it. Let's just say he was lying in the last chapter, cuz he _really_ didn't want to go up there...? I should really research more, that way I wouldn't have to put my foot in my mouth so often. Hm, oh well. Just, excuse any canonical errors, yeah? Thankies ;-D

I was going to try and get this out yesterday, (pardon me if I go slightly OT here) but then I really got into this book I found at the half price book store…and it's really awesome and out of print and apparently hard to find (not that I knew that at the time…): _The Catch Trap_ by Marion Zimmer Bradley, anyone else read it? It's very _Brokeback_-esc without quite so much tragedy, which is a _very_ good thing. So I was reading that all day yesterday…till about three in the morning…and I'm still only half way through. Heh, anyway…even without all that this chapter's still out much faster than the last one was, ne?

Thanks again to the reviewers, y'all really inspire me to write faster ;-D **_o x Hugs x o_** go out to: Glanni Glaepur, KrysSaiyan, The Shekinah, Pocketface, NightmareAhead, authoraisarete, AnonyMiss731, and Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac. _Thank you!_

A Slippery Slope

Chapter 7: The Rescue

"Aha!"Sportacus hugged the faded red photo album to his chest. 'I've finally found it. Now, all I need to do is find and show Robbie and _explain_...and he'll _have_ to trust me.' He was so enthused about his discovery he couldn't help but hop up off the floor and pop out a few exuberant jumping jacks.

Just as he was getting to the good part—'_When the muscles start to burn and the breathing gets heavy, you know you're doing it right,'_ he thought to himself—a loud banging reverberated through the airship, interrupting his energetic joy. No bird made that much noise; none of the big ones was silly enough to run into a door, unless it was ill. Sportacus leapt to the entryway, a list of remedies for fowl concussions already whirling through his mind.

"Door!"

It slid open, responding to Sportacus' demand, and revealed an even paler-than-normal Robbie Rotten, who was clutching the rope ladder as if his life depended on it (which it did, incidentally).

"Robbie, what are you doing all the way up here?" Sportacus exclaimed, fairly shocked to see that his soon-to-be friend had made it all the way up to his home. He was pleased, of course, but surprised as all get out.

Robbie just shook his head, his eyes shut tightly; he didn't have enough concentration to talk _and_ clutch desperately to the ladder at the same time. However, he had noticed the strange tone Sportacus used. Robbie blindly assumed it was suspicion laced in his voice, since that's what it usually was.

"And Stephanie!" A flash of pink alerted the hero that his protegé had made the climb as well. She let go of the ladder to wave weakly at Sportacus, then quickly grasped the rope once again. Sportacus cheerfully returned her greeting, then turned his attention back to the petrified man in front.

"Here, let me help you up, Robbie." Sportacus leaned forward, offering a hand; the other anchored on the frame of the door.

Robbie forced himself to look up at Sportacus, only to discover that, unfortunately, he was looking horrendously gorgeous today. His hat was missing, allowing his golden sorrel locks to fall loosely about his face, framing incandescent blue eyes. His official Super Hero vest was also absent, and Robbie got an eyeful of thinly veiled, chiseled washboard stomach and broad chest. His gaze traveled downwards, quickly past the slight bulge in the blue pants, even more defined muscle toned legs, and finally down to his bare feet, amazingly not yet turning blue from the nippy morning breeze. A blur of movement brought his attention back up, and Robbie then noticed that Sportacus was reaching for him. Instead of taking his hand, _'No touching!_' Robbie shook himself clear of the stupor Sportacus always managed to put him in, and threw out a defense mechanism. "So, when it was only me you're not sure, but as soon as Stephanie the Pink appears it's a green light?" His hazel eyes flung shards of ice through that wonderful chest and headed directly towards the hero's heart.

Sportacus sighed, a small frown ghosting across his features. "Robbie, I'm sorry if I sounded like I don't trust you. It's just that you've done some things in the past, and I never would have expected you to come..." he smiled. "It's just a silly bad habit I've picked up. Would you help me break it? Please, Robbie?" Sportacus pleaded, stretching his hand further.

Robbie blinked at the large man-paw which was hovering just inches from his own pale, spider-slender fingers. _'Defense mechanism: "ice shards" deflected. Blast!_' He shifted his weight, hand twitching. _'No! Robbie, don't do it!'_ an inner voice screamed at him. But he wasn't listening anymore. He was hanging thirty feet in the air on a flimsy rope ladder and the only way up was through Sportacus. _'Besides, what's the worst I could do? Compared to falling to my death, going forward sounds pretty good right now...'_ he reasoned, starting to raise a hand off of the rung. He stretched slowly towards the proffered lifeline. Sportacus hovered, waiting for Robbie to come to him. (Besides, if he leaned out any further he'd lose his balance, and then where would they be?) When their fingertips finally brushed, sparks shot through Robbie. A large gust of wind whipped across the trio and Robbie gripped Sportacus's hand to stave off a dramatic plunge to earth. Sportacus grinned broadly at him, and he tried not to let the corners of his mouth drift up too terribly far in response. The wind continued to howl.

"Well, pull me up already before the blasted elements get the better of us!" Robbie blurted out.

Sportacus, still beaming, tugged hard, pulling Robbie to him. _'I'll get through his walls, even if it takes all the hugs in the world,'_ he thought to himself.

Enveloped in yet another embrace, Robbie tensed again. _'Hand holding _and_ hugging? Not both in one day...let alone in the span of two seconds.' _But his bones were cold, after hanging in the chilly breeze for what felt like hours, and Sportacus was so pleasantly warm. Robbie's arms rose from his sides and he lightly placed his hands on Sportacus' hips. His heart felt like it was going to burst out through his throat, but it felt so _right,_ somehow, to be here like this. He moved his thumbs tentatively. '_Soft.' _The blue fabric seemed as velvety as rabbit fur, and body heat radiated through, thawing his icy fingers. He flinched instinctually as Sportacus moved even closer, "You fit really well, Robbie."

Robbie gasped a little, almost imperceptibly. He opened his mouth to say something, _anything_; to explain himself, to ask what Sportacus thought he was doing, and a million other things that were racing through his head. This was all highly confusing to Robbie, particularly since he never had many friends.

"Cue cheesy Lifetime channel music..." Stephanie muttered to herself. It really wasn't so bad up here. It was the closest to flying she was ever going to get, besides being on an airplane, which didn't count anyway since you're strapped in most of the time. But really, did they have to gaze into each other's eyes for so long? Didn't they remember there was another person hanging on a limb here? If they were going to kiss they should just get it over with. Although she really didn't want to have to see them making out…being supportive was one thing, but the whole kissing thing was still kind of gross.

"Hey, I'm still out here! Could I get a little help?"

Robbie sprung away from the shelter of Sportacus' encircling arms, with a deer-in-the-headlights expression splashed across his face. Sportacus smiled at him before stepping back out of the hatch.

"I'm sorry, Stephanie. I got distracted." He grabbed her by the arm and hoisted her onto the platform. One hand rested on her back, guiding her into the ship as she found her footing."I'll say," she scoffed, winking to show that she was only a little miffed. Sportacus rubbed her pink hair affectionately and she giggled.

"Wow!" Stephanie exclaimed. "Your ship is so cool!" She took a few steps into the threshold, eyes wide, trying to take everything in at once.

"Now that we're not hanging underneath it," Robbie muttered.

Sportacus laughed beatifically. "Robbie!" Robbie looked up, startled. "I have something to show you," He scampered off to find what it was that he had been looking for all morning.

"Hey! What about me?" Stephanie called after him, shooting Robbie a dirty look. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"You too, Steph!" Sportacus' voice drifted out from another room and she smirked.

"Are you _jealous_ now?" Robbie sneered.

"Why should I be jealous?" She put her hands on her hips. "Sportacus doesn't even—" she clamped her mouth shut. She needed to learn not to say things out of spite to Robbie. If Sportacus was trying to get closer to him, then being civil was the least she could do. It was just so _difficult_ sometimes. Robbie knew exactly what buttons to push to get nasty comments to pop out of her mouth, especially involving such a touchy subject. Sportacus was her, and the rest of the kids', idol. Who could blame her if she maybe had a teeny, tiny, bit of a crush percolating on the back burner? She resolved to concentrate much harder when she was talking with Robbie from now on, and not let her knee-jerk reactions get the best of her. The night before she had even said she was going to _help_ them get closer. She had forgotten how antagonizing Robbie could be, and that he wasn't going to change over night. "Nevermind," she muttered.

Robbie raised an eyebrow at her self control. _'Hm, maybe she's changing..._' he thought vaguely, before Sportacus bounded back into the room chasing all thoughts of Stephanie's maturation from his mind.

He stopped in front of one of the walls. "Couch," he commanded cheerfully. A blue and white striped sofa slid out and Sportacus beckoned the two to join him.

Stephanie skipped over and sat next to his side. "What's that?" she asked eagerly, pointing to the object in his lap.

"It's a photo album." He gently opened it to the first page. Then, noticing that Robbie was still standing, looked up inquisitively. "Come sit," he said softly, as if coaxing a skittish mare.

Robbie nodded hesitantly and perched on the edge of the over-stuffed bench, folding his arms across his knees.

Sportacus took in the image, as Robbie stared resolutely down at his shoes. The couch had been a custom job made for Sportacus, and since his legs were of average length, and Robbie's were not, Robbie was forced to sit much lower than he would have preferred, his knees bending sharply. His lanky limbs jutted out at odd angles, as if he had never quite grown beyond the "awkward stage." His cheeks had a slight coloring to them, contrasting nicely against the surrounding pale skin. Sportacus wanted to muss up his perfect obsidian hair, which shined under the sunlight streaming in from the numerous windows. It was delightfully new to have Robbie in his home; his dark mien was so different than what Sportacus was used to.

Robbie stirred restlessly, feeling his gaze burning into him.

Stephanie cleared her throat. "Sportacus? You wanted to show us something?"

He jumped slightly. "Oh, yes, my pictures."

Robbie looked up and scooted nearer to Sportacus, careful to keep a few inches in between their sides.

"I don't have many, because my parents died when I was very young, and the people who raised me, my grandparents, didn't like to spend a lot of extra money, especially on such a frivolous thing as a camera."

Robbie made a small discontented sound and Stephanie put a hand on his firm arm. "I'm so sorry, Sportacus," she consoled.

"It's okay," he shook his head. "I'm not complaining. I had a good life. My guardians were good people. I couldn't have gotten where I am today without them."

Sportacus proceeded to share his memories.


End file.
